Louis C.K.: Dropped from Secret Life of Pets 2 due to Sexual Allegations

Universal and Illumination have terminated their relationship with disgraced comedian Louis C.K. for the sequel The Secret Life of Pets 2.

He voiced the lead character Max, a Jack Russell terrier, in last year’s “The Secret Life of Pets,” which grossed $875 million worldwide and also starred Jenny Slate, Ellie Kemper, and Kevin Hart. The sequel is scheduled to open on June 7, 2019.

Universal and Illumination made a short one-sentence announcement on Friday afternoon and did not elaborate. The move came a day after the New York Times published a story alleging that C.K. had repeatedly asked women he encountered in work-related environments to watch him masturbate. He confirmed the stories on Friday morning.

“These stories are true,” C.K. said in his statement. “At the time, I said to myself that what I did was okay because I never showed a woman my d— without asking first, which is also true. But what I learned later in life, too late, is that when you have power over another person, asking them to look at your d— isn’t a question. It’s a predicament for them. The power I had over these women is that they admired me. And I wielded that power irresponsibly.”